Gabe had an aura. When he showed up, the energy changed. He was always either laughing or making everybody else laugh. He was as cool as everybody wanted to be. His intelligence from life experiences was perhaps only surpassed by his positivity. He was one-of-a-kind.

I was first introduced to Gabe through a video John Hicks shot for Vital in 2009. My mind was blown that I hadn’t heard of him - and that was simply based on his riding. I knew nothing about the man behind the gigantic hops.

Diamondback saw that video and wanted to sponsor Gabe. He called me to talk about it. We’d never met or spoken before. I’m not sure what - if anything - ever came of the Diamondback deal, but Gabe and I ended up chatting about random things for a couple of hours. What I found was was an incredibly personable, funny guy who was kind and respectful to me - regardless of the fact that Gabe and I couldn’t possibly be any more different.

From there, Gabe went on to have an impactful tenure in BMX in a very short time. His skill and personality became recognized worldwide and he continued to drop jaws with every video he would release.

I’d be lying if I said Gabe and I were close, but what I can say is that whenever I was around him, I was either laughing or witnessing brilliance on a bike. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad thing about Gabe, and that says a lot in this world.

Gabe was shot to death early this morning on the streets of Los Angeles.

I knew he was from the hood and I knew very little about a large portion of his life, but Gabe always seemed invincible to me. I’m beyond saddened to learn of his passing and sincerely wish the best to his friends, family, and fans.